Wednesday, January 30, 2013

After a long hiatus, I finally got back into action in December. Some times were offered, and many were claimed. This is the second response that I've gotten (although there's certainly at least one good excuse as to why I haven't gotten more).

Long time reader, commenter, and all around good guy Mr. Readerston snagged this excellent plaid Pendleton, which I happen to have a duplicate of in my very own collection.

Photo courtesy Mr. Readerston

As usual, I'll let him give the details.

Mr. Readerston combined this Pendleton wool tie (courtesy of Mr. Midwester) with an Oxford cloth button-down shirt from Mettler's American Mercantile (gift), a cotton cardigan from Uniqlo (bought new), a Polo University by Ralph Lauren jacket (thrifted), and an unbranded Italian silk pocket square (also thrifted). Both the shirt and the jacket were made in the USA.Out of the shot were a pair of unbranded dark brown heather flannel trousers (thrifted), green wool socks from Lands End (bought new), and brown suede brogues from Bass (also bought new).

That cord jacket is absolutely awesome. I've been looking for one for ages, but haven't yet found one that fits my ape arms. The rest of the layers look nice and cozy too for this time of the year.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

When I first started thrifting seriously for clothes, I bought everything of even middling quality that came close to fitting me. It was only upon finding that I had far too many useless, ill-fitting clothes cluttering up my closet that I had to change my mindset to one of biding my time until the right items came along.

Although I haven't been finding the wealth of ties that I used to when I went out more often, I've still run across a couple treasures lately. One is this heavy silk Turnbull and Asser in white with navy stripes and check. It has a couple tiny little pulls, but they're only noticeable on super close inspection.

While I haven't been hitting the physical stores as much as in the past, I've managed to pick up a few great finds here and there on ebay. One example is this pair of made in Italy J Crew wingtip boots. J Crew isn't always known for their quality, and these boots looked ridiculously beat in the auction photos, but a couple points stuck out to me while looking at the auction.

The first is that the heel is actually stacked wood, and the boots are entirely made of leather (except the heel). There are a few J Crew lines that have been licensed by seriously quality makers (in fact, they have done some with Alden), and these appear to be top shelf. One of the things I'd wanted over the past year was a pair of boots just like this, and instead of forking over $300 or more for Allen Edmonds or something of similar quality, I managed to make these mine for under $50 including shipping. After a quality polish, they've done quite nicely, and I'm guessing that if I take care of them, they'll last me a decade or so.

I'll admit it's fund to splurge and strut your stuff with something new once in awhile, but I somehow manage to get that same feeling when I find a screaming deal.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Last month, I finally got back into the swing of things with Style Share and offered up a pile of ties. Not sure if I'll do it every month, but I have some seriously rad stuff that will be offered up as soon as the temperatures go up a bit.

GetTicketsToTheDance claimed this fun ski motif tie from the Squire Shop, and even provided a link with a bit of history about the place it was made for.

Photos courtesy GetTicketsToTheDance

As usual, I'll let him give the details.

The coat is a vtg Navy flannel 3/2 Sack from the Harvard Co-Op, the shirt is a current Brooks Brothers Oxford Cloth Button down (USA Made), the khakis are LL Bean flannel lined, the ragg socks are Cabot Brothers (now Darn Tough out of VT), and the Beefroll pennies are Florsheim Imperial. The Coat and Khakis were thrifted, the shoes a cheap ebay pickup.

Not only classic-looking, but warm as well (I've got to get some flannel-lined pants for the days when the wind gets wicked around here). I'm a big fan of mixing in a playful tie with a more traditional coat and pants combination. Lots of bargain shopping as well!

Scavenger in chief

This site is my attempt to write about my evolving sense of style and interesting objects purchased on a modest budget. Thrift store, garage sale, and mark-down purchases ahoy!
Shoot me an email at contact @ mistermidwester . com if you have any comments / suggestions / questions.
Thanks!